


Once in a Lifetime

by JoMouse



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: 1DLyricWheel, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - High School, Curse Breaking, Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, M/M, Magic-Users, Shapeshifters - Freeform, evil witch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8895850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: Zayn remembers nothing. Liam remembers everything.
or
Liam pisses off an ancient evil witch who takes her revenge on Zayn. 
Submission for Third Round of the 1DLyricWheel Challenge - Album: Four





	

**Author's Note:**

> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.

Zayn remembered nothing. He had no solid memories from before he turned fifteen. He was fully aware that his name was Zayn Malik, that he lived with his family in a small cottage in the woods. His mother homeschooled his sisters and himself, something that she had apparently always done. Zayn had knowledge that came from having been educated his entire life, but he had no memory of actually learning. 

He once asked his mother about it, but she had been no help. “Some people just don’t have a mind for such things,” she’d responded with a shrug.

He spent all of his time with his family, there were no other people for hundreds of miles around. When his family got to be too much, he headed out into the woods for hours, wandering and getting lost in his own head. He would sit and draw for hours, amazed at some of his own drawings since, again, he had no memory of every learning to draw. He didn’t know how much he’d improved, practiced, or if the talent was natural.

The strangest thing was that some days, he would swear he’d dozed off out in the woods and upon waking, the page would be covered with sketches of eyes. Warm eyes that felt familiar, but he couldn’t even begin to explain why. As he ran his hand over the drawings, trying to spark a memory, he swore he heard someone call his name. He would glance up, expecting his father, but the woods were clear.

Sometimes, he really wondered if there was something wrong with his mind.

***

Liam remembered everything. Every memory from his life was permanently embedded in his brain. He could even tell you what colour hospital gown his mother had worn when he was born. Mostly, though, he remembered hazel eyes with a pinprick of colour in the whites. 

His memory hadn’t always been this good. It had been typical. He’d remembered the important things, for the most part. He could tell you when his mum’s birthday was, what his sisters’ favourite colours were, all of the usual stuff. 

Then one day, it all changed.

Liam still couldn’t believe that witches existed. He had always thought they were the things of fairy tales, but if that were true, then he had somehow stumbled into one set in the twenty-first century. If he’d known that strange maths teacher who watched him too carefully, despite being ten years older and married, was a witch, he would’ve been a bit more careful. He might not have let her know that he was in love, that his heart was taken by someone else. 

Maybe if he’d just told the woman he wasn’t interested because of her age, because of her marital status, things wouldn’t have happened the way they did. Maybe she wouldn’t have exacted revenge by taking away the one person he loved more than anything.

Instead, at fifteen years old, he’d lost the love of his life and he was the only one who remembered him. Three years later, he still dreamt of him every night. He dreamt of running through a dense forest, shouting for him. He could feel someone chasing him, someone trying to get to his love before Liam could, but even after all these years, not even the bad guys in the dark night could take it all away. They couldn’t take away the memories, the feelings, the love he had for him.

The love he carried for Zayn.

***

Zayn woke up, as he did most nights, heart pounding. He glanced over to the door of his room, surprised to see it propped open, a small bit of flickering light pouring in from the main room of the cabin. He could hear his parents whispering. Zayn slid out of bed, tiptoeing quietly towards the door. The whispering became more distinct as he drew closer.

“I tried leaving the forest today,” his father said. “I could see the road ahead of me, but the more I walked, it never got any closer.”

“If I didn’t know any better,” his mother spoke, “I’d think we’re caught up in some kind of crazy curse.”

He heard his father’s snort of derision. “There is no such thing as curses.”

“Then how else do you explain it?” his mother countered, and Zayn could hear her moving away, her voice growing softer until it was drowned out entirely by the sound of dishes clinking and water running.

Zayn stayed at the doorway until he heard his parents switch off the lights and head off to their room on the top floor of the cabin. Once he heard his father’s snores, he tiptoed out of his room and into the kitchen. Reaching underneath the sink, he unearthed the large flashlight they stored there in case of emergencies. Then he grabbed his boots from next to the door and snuck outside.

Once he was outside, he pulled his boots on and turned on the flashlight. He swished it over the ground, thankful suddenly for the rain that had fallen the night before when the light found his father’s bootprints in the soft earth. Setting off, he followed the trail.

He was further into the forest than he could remember ever being, although that really wasn’t saying much. He’d long since lost track of his father’s footprints, the density of the foliage above his head keeping the ground dry. He flashed the light ahead, catching the glimpse of an opening in the trees, wondering if that was the road his father had spoken of.

Zayn kept walking, feeling the trees draw closer around him instead of opening up like he had expected. His breathing was becoming laboured even though he was moving at an even pace. His head was beginning to hurt, but something inside him urged him to keep moving. He couldn’t put a name to the desire deep inside him, suddenly, to find his way out of the forest, but he knew that he had to do it.

He stopped moving for a moment, placing a hand on the tree closest to him. He blinked, staring at the tree as he felt it pulse beneath his palm, almost in a heartbeat. He realized something as time went on and the pounding in his head grew worse. “Right now, my heart is beating the same,” he whispered to the tree, thinking he really was losing his mind.

He heard his name and whirled around, thinking his family had noticed him missing, but there was no one there. Hearing his name again, he turned back towards the direction of the mysterious road. The figure of a man stood there, the entirety of his visage cloaked in darkness. Everything except his eyes. Eyes he’d drawn a thousand times.

A word welled up in his chest and exploded out of his mouth just before he collapsed into darkness beneath the pulsing tree. 

The word was: Liam.

***

Liam sat in maths, his head on the desk in front of him. He’d slept for crap and woken with a headache worse than any hangover he’d ever experienced. He’d honestly considered skipping maths class, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with the witch, but he was honestly afraid of what she would do next if he disappointed her.

“Zayn Malik.” A voice he didn’t recognize called a name he hadn’t heard spoken by anyone else in three years.

Liam jerked his head up, meeting the eyes of a large man in an ill-fitting suit at the front of the room. “Are you Zayn Malik?” he asked.

“N..no, sir,” Liam stuttered. “I’m Liam Payne.” The man’s eyes narrowed as he looked over Liam, but the gaze felt more considering than hostile.

“Is this Zayn kid a new student?” Liam’s friend Louis piped up from next to him. “I’ve never heard of the bloke.”

The man glanced down at the tablet in his hands, blinked a couple of times before frowning. “My apologies, I must have misread the name. Mr. Payne, since we’ve already established you are here, we shall move on in the seating chart. Lewis Tomlinson.”

Liam was still staring at the teacher, trying to convince himself he’d heard incorrectly. That he hadn’t actually called out Zayn’s name. How would he even know the name? He’d acted like he’d read it, but all of Zayn’s records had disappeared from existence when he had.

“It’s Lou-E!” his friend snapped, earning a glare from the front of the room. “Who exactly are you? Where’s the hag? She at least got my name right.”

Liam groaned at how accurate Louis’ nickname for the witch was. All the students hated the teacher, but as far as he knew, he was the only one who had a reason. He stared curiously at the man, taking in the scruff along his chin. He was fairly intimidating, but when he suddenly smiled, Liam got more the impression of a teddy bear than a monster.

“My name is Mr. O’Brien. I’ll be taking over your maths course for the rest of the semester as your former instructor,” he glanced down at the tablet, chuckling, “who’s name I cannot decipher, has taken a sudden, yet timely, retirement.” The class cheered, making the teacher laugh again. “Now, settle down so we can at least get through attendance today.”

Class went quickly, but Liam couldn’t stop staring at the teacher. He was already trying to figure out ways to stay after class without raising Louis’ suspicions, because he knew his friend would ask questions that he just couldn’t answer. He was saved from coming up with something when the bell rang and Mr. O’Brien called out, “Mr. Payne, can you stay behind a moment, please?”

Liam nodded, ignoring Louis’ questioning gaze. Once the rest of the students were gone, the teacher closed the door. “How did you know the name Zayn Malik?” Liam asked before the man had even turned back to him.

Mr. O’Brien’s eyes were sad when he looked over at Liam. “What colour was the blanket in your crib?”

“Dark green with yellow stripes,” Liam answered without pause.

“How many cracks were in the first stair of your first house?”

“Seven,” Liam responded. “One ran up into the second and third stair.”

Mr. O’Brien nodded. “First, you can call me Paddy,” he said, smiling and removing his coat, hanging it over the chair behind the instructor’s desk, immediately looking more relaxed. “I’m assuming with your memory that you are aware of the true identity of your former instructor.”

Liam made a face. “You mean the evil witch that destroyed my life?”

“To put it simply,” Paddy responded, taking a seat atop the desk Louis had vacated. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked down at Liam. “We’ve been tracking her for many lifetimes. We finally caught up to her recently because of a weakness in the spell she cast upon you and Mr. Malik.”

“Please. Liam and Zayn. It’s so amazing to hear someone else say his name,” Liam pleaded. “To have someone acknowledge his existence again. To know he exists somewhere besides in my head.”

Paddy’s smile was sympathetic. “We would have probably caught her sooner, but witches as old as she are very powerful and there is not much that can be done to counteract a spell cast in anger by them.”

“Wait, you said many lifetimes. You mean she wasn’t 28?” Liam shuddered when Paddy laughed.

“Add a one and a zero in front of that and you’ll be close, but that’s beside the point. The point is, normally, nothing can disrupt a spell by such a powerful witch. That is why we weren’t able to find her for so long, but last night something changed.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but other than your sudden appearance, somehow, it feels like nothing has changed,” Liam argued. All he knew was he’d still woken up this morning to a world where Zayn seemed to have never existed, except in his own head. He spent so much time wondering if he was crazy, but now this man was trying to tell him he wasn’t.

“I understand, but last night there was a rip in the screen between this plane and the one where Zayn and his family have-”

“Wait! You mean he’s alive?” Liam’s voice was awed. On the days he was convinced he wasn’t crazy, he truly believed the witch had killed Zayn; it was the only thing that made sense. She had been so angry when Liam had rejected her for Zayn, that murder was the only option, but he guessed that torture would be more satisfying.

“Yes. He is alive, but now we need to find him, and quickly, or that might change. Once a witch is captured, the spells they cast start to dissipate. Sometimes, they just reset and no one knows a spell has been cast, but a spell cast in anger, such as this one, self-destructs.” Paddy looked thoughtful as he reached towards Liam, his hand flipping in mid-air. Liam watched amazed as an image appeared in the air above his palm. 

“That’s Zayn’s house!” Liam exclaimed, reaching out and laughing his first true laugh in three years when his fingers went through the image. The house still stood as it always had, but the morning after Zayn disappeared, there was another family living there. 

“It is Zayn’s house on this altered plane,” Paddy explained as the strangers that had been living there appeared on the porch. With a snap of his fingers, the image changed to Liam and Zayn walking side by side up the front walk, shoulders bumping. “This is how things on this plane should and, hopefully, will be.”

“You mean, that if the spell is broken, if we find Zayn and bring him home, things will be different than they are now?” Liam was starting to get confused.

“Things will be the way they were always meant to be on this plane. Your memory will go back to being imperfect.” He chuckled when Liam let out a breath of relief. Remembering everything was sometimes stressful. “Everyone will remember Zayn and behave as if he’s always been here. You two will gain the memories of the moments that have been missed, it will be as if you’ve lived them.”

“Will we remember this?”

Paddy pressed his lips together. “Normally, I would say no. I would say that everything would go back as if nothing had ever happened, but the two of you - there’s something special there.”

“What do you mean?” Liam was really growing even more confused.

“Well, contrary to movies and novels, true love is very rare, almost non-existent, in fact. However, when it does occur, it is also the most powerful magic there is.” Paddy smiled then. “You and Zayn - that’s true love. It’s the only reason that even banishing Zayn didn’t open you up to magically-induced affection for your instructor. We also believe it’s the only reason Zayn was able to reach the edge of the plane last night, disrupting the spell.”

“So, our love saved me from a life with that witch even though he’d been banished?” Liam tripped over the word, still trying to come to terms with the amazing news that Zayn was still alive. “Do you know what he’s been doing for the last three years? Has he been looking for me?” Liam wondered every day if Zayn thought about him.

Paddy’s face was solemn as he responded. “He remembers nothing. I’m sorry.” Paddy moved to place an arm around Liam’s shoulders, and Liam sank gratefully against his side. “Now, let’s go try and find your boy.”

***

Zayn blinked against the bright sun, throwing an arm over his eyes to keep away even the red that was exploding behind the closed lids. He was trying to figure out where he was; if he’d been in his room, the curtains would have protected his eyes from the bright light. Suddenly, images from the night before came back to him. He quickly sat up, cursing the pain in his head. He glanced around, eyes falling on a frog staring at him from the roots of the tree he remembered pulsing beneath his hand.

“Hello?”

“Hiiii,” the frog responded, startling Zayn.

“Am I dreaming?” he asked the frog, feeling stupid as he did so.

“No.”

“Am I dead?” The frog made a noise that sounded like a deep laugh, and when Zayn blinked, he was replaced by a long-limbed boy with long hair dressed completely in green. “I’m dead.”

“Not even a little bit,” the boy responded. “You’re just...lost.”

“But you found me?” Zayn pushed himself to stand, thanking the boy when he steadied him.

“You found yourself, Zayn, or at least, part of yourself,” he answered, explaining nothing.

“I’m at a bit of a disadvantage. You know my name and I don’t know who you are, Froggie.” Zayn began to move towards the road again, remembering the sight of the man he had seen and the name that had exploded out of him. “Liam?”

“Not even close,” he answered, grabbing Zayn and pulling him away. “Be careful. You don’t want to get too close and knock yourself out again.” Zayn’s eyes widened as he took a step back. “So, you remember Liam’s name, but not what he looks like.”

Zayn opened his mouth to answer but stopped as something popped into his head. “He has brown eyes. Like a puppy.” Zayn’s voice was quiet as the boy nodded for him to continue. “There’s a birthmark on his neck. It’s very ticklish.” Zayn laughed quietly, running a hand over his lips, a ghost of a memory, an  _ actual  _ memory, teasing him. 

“How do memories feel, Zayn?” The boy looked proud, although Zayn wasn’t sure if it was of him or himself.

“Why don’t I remember you?” he asked. “Where is Liam?”

“You don’t remember me because this is the first time you’ve seen me. Liam is where he belongs.” The boy stepped forward from where he’d been leaning against the tree, holding a hand out. “My name is Harry.”

Zayn stared at the hand, not taking it, suddenly feeling suspicious, something he hadn’t felt in as long as he could remember, which was still not all that long. “If Liam was where he belongs, he would be here next to me.”

Harry shook his head. “Liam is where he belongs. You are the one who is displaced, but help should be coming soon.”

“Help?” Zayn asked. “You can’t expect me to just sit here and wait. I need to find him.” Zayn couldn’t even explain the sudden desperate need he had to find Liam. He still didn’t even have a complete image of who this Liam was, but the longer he sat, the more solid the images became.

Harry reached into a bag that was lying next to where he had been standing. He pulled out a leather-bound journal and a pencil, handing them both to Zayn. “He has to find you, but you can help.”

Zayn took the items, staring at them. “How are these going to help?”

“Draw. Draw everything you are remembering. Draw Liam,” Harry explained, settling back onto the tree roots. 

Zayn glanced down at the items and then back up to find Harry gone, replaced again by the frog that had been staring at him when he’d woken up. Settling next to the frog, only slightly surprised when it hopped onto his knee, he opened the journal and began to draw, starting with the eyes that were already familiar, even before this crazy morning.

***

Liam told his parents that he was going camping with Louis. He told Louis that he was going away to visit his grandparents for the weekend, thankful when Louis told him that his family was also going to be gone for a few days. He felt he had everything covered as he climbed into the front seat of Paddy’s vehicle, and they started driving. “Do you even know where we’re going?” Liam asked.

“No,” Paddy said. He glanced over at Liam, smiling sadly at Liam’s defeated gaze. “We’re going to start at Zayn’s family home.”

They pulled up out front, Liam glancing up at the house that was both familiar and strange at the same time. The decorations were ones that Zayn’s family would never have put out, his mum a bit classier than the strangers who had descended upon the home when the world changed. 

He glanced towards the porch, a sudden flash of yellow catching his eye. A golden dog sat on the steps, head tilted, seeming to stare directly at Liam. When he blinked, the dog changed into a boy with blond hair and bright smile, another blink and the dog was back again, trotting down the walk towards the vehicle. The dog came to a stop just outside Liam’s door, cocking his head, tail brushing against the sidewalk.

Liam stepped out of the vehicle and dropped down to a crouch in front of the animal, a hand reaching up to scratch at the animal’s ears. He heard Paddy climb out of the car, looking up when the man came to stand next to him. “We don’t have time to play with animals, Liam.”

The dog let out a quiet growl towards Paddy before giving a lick to Liam’s cheek. “You know where Zayn is, don’t you?” he asked, feeling slightly crazy for talking to the animal, but when he looked into its strange blue eyes, he felt a pull.

The dog barked once before standing and beginning to walk down the sidewalk. It got three houses away before it stopped, turning to bark at them. Liam and Paddy exchanged a look before beginning to follow the dog.

They walked in silence for a bit, Liam hoping they weren’t wasting their time. He glanced over at Paddy who was doing the thing with his hand again. Another image appeared, this time, it was a wooded area, Zayn leaned against a tree with a book open in his lap, sketching. Liam remembered watching him for hours during footie practices doing just that. Louis would always give him so much hassle for being distracted, but who could blame him. After a moment, the Zayn in the image looked up, it was almost as if he was looking directly at Liam.

Liam gasped out Zayn’s name just as the image’s mouth moved silently. 

“We must be getting close,” Paddy said. “Even I’m beginning to feel it.”

At first, Liam didn’t understand, but then he could feel the tug in his chest. The feeling of being led by something other than the-

“Oi! Ye two are the slowest wankers I’ve ever met!” a voice interrupted his thoughts and Liam glanced ahead to see the blond boy from the porch again, the dog now nowhere in sight. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m the dog, now can we please go. All these loved-up feelings are making me hungry.”

Liam couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out, relieved when the other two joined in. Suddenly, a sharp pain went through Liam’s chest. “Zayn!” he shouted again.

***

Zayn’s head whipped up when he felt a pain in his chest, followed by his name called more loudly than it had ever been in his dreams. “Liam!” he shouted before he could stop himself. He jumped to his feet, apologizing quickly to Harry who had tumbled off into the dirt with an indignant ribbit.

Zayn’s head whipped around when he heard his name called again. “Someone's calling my name!” he snapped at Harry who had become human again and was trying to stop him from moving closer to the road. “It sounds like Liam!” He laughed loudly. “I remember his voice, Harry!”

Harry smiled then, but still kept a strong grip on Zayn’s arm. He tried to break free, but Harry was much stronger than he looked. After a few moments struggle, Zayn heard his name called again, this time much closer and filled with joy. Glancing towards the road, he saw him. He saw his Liam staring at him with a shocked expression on his face, one that Zayn was entirely sure was mirrored on his own.

“Liam!” he shouted, pulling himself out of Harry’s grasp and breaking into a run. 

Liam saw Zayn break free of the guy that was holding him and begin to run towards him. Liam glanced at Niall, as he’d learned was the dog boy’s name, and Paddy before running towards Zayn. He saw the woods around Zayn, looking completely out of place in the middle of downtown London, but the closer he got, the more the woods faded into the city. 

It seemed like hours, but was only moments, before the two collided into each other. A clap of thunder sounded as their bodies met, Liam knocking Zayn onto the ground. They held onto each other, tears streaming down their faces as their lips met. 

Finally, the world felt right. 

***

Epilogue:

The world settled into the way it was supposed to have been if the evil witch had never come into their lives. The first few days were disorientating for Zayn and Liam who could remember everything from both worlds, although they certainly preferred the memories of the way their romance had developed in the three years they were separated. 

Paddy continued on as their maths instructor, as well as their magics instructor, because apparently, both boys had a bit of magic inside of them, helped by their love for each other. They also gained two new classmates and friends, Niall and Harry, who Louis had taken an immediate liking to. The five of them spent as much time together as possible.

The night of graduation, Zayn and Liam left the party at Louis’ house and began to walk around London. They found themselves at the spot where they’d found each other again. They shared smiles as they both remembered the night, the way the world fell back into place, the way everything felt right.

As they stood there, Zayn reached into his pocket and pulled out a sketchbook, handing it to Liam. “I don’t know how I was able to keep this from the other plane, but I want you to have it,” he said. Liam flipped through the pages, smiling at all of the drawings, gasping when he came upon the numerous pages of his eyes. “I never forgot those. Even with that spell, I couldn’t forget them.”

“Paddy said it was our love that weakened the spell. That we have true love, which is rare,” Liam explained, kissing the tip of Zayn’s nose as he closed the book, sliding it underneath his left arm while he wrapped his right around Zayn.

“He told me the same thing. Said a love like ours only comes along once in a lifetime.” Zayn smiled as he held out his hand again, a shiny silver braided ring in the palm as he quirked an eyebrow at Liam who smiled and nodded before leaning in to kiss Zayn. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to come talk to me on Twitter or tumblr. I really love meeting new people!


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